Just Say The Word

S1E1-Clive Stafford Smith: Language

Episode 01 is dedicated to the word “language” chosen by our special guest, Clive Stafford Smith, the British attorney and founder of Reprieve, a human rights organization focusing on the rights of death row prisoners and Guantánamo detainees. 
Paul discusses with Clive, what “language” represents to him and why  he chose this word. Using the right tone and register in court can save someone’s life, and as an attorney who advocates against the death penalty, Clive agrees that language plays a very strong role in his everyday work: once you figure out the language that the jury ‘speaks’, it becomes easier to persuade them to do the right thing in court. But hear him out! He has quite interesting stories to tell - both personal and professional.
Following Paul’s chat with Clive, we delve into the semantic background of the word “language” with our Language Detective, Balnur, who digs deep to find out where the word comes from. Being a Kazakh and a linguist herself, Balnur reveals interesting translations, both in her native Kazakh and in other languages too.
Lastly, Yuliya searches for the most exciting cultural connotations of the word “language”- from poetry and music to movies and literature – which are deeply imprinted in our culture. The power of words has fascinated many poets, writers, musicians, and philosophers for centuries – from Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda and George Orwell, to Stereophonics, Queen and Jean-Luc Godard- we have pulled in  great minds and talents to help  illustrate how the concept of “language” is rooted in our everyday life.
And as a bonus, to bring ‘language’ alive we have invited the talented voice actors Kenny Blyth and Gabriel Porras to read us excerpts of classic poems, devoted to the language we speak. Intrigued? If you want to find out more, then do lend us your ears. This podcast show is for all of you, language lovers.
 
 
Hosts: Paul Mangell, Yuliya Stancheva, Balnur Zhexeni
Producer- Yuliya Stancheva
Voice Actors: Kenny Blyth and Gabriel Porras
Sound design: Alpha Studios
Sound engineers: Gerard Rodriguez and Mikosh Nanasi
Art design: David Stanley
Vocals: Stan Stanchev
Guest: Clive Stafford Smith is a British attorney who specialises in the areas of civil rights and works against the death penalty in the United States of America. He worked to overturn death sentences for convicts, and helped found the not-for-profit Louisiana Capital Assistance Center in New Orleans. By 2002 this was the "largest capital defence organisation in the South." In addition, he has represented more than 80 of the detainees held as enemy combatants since 2002 at the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Born in Cambridge and educated at Old Buckenham Hall School and Radley College, Clive Stafford Smith studied journalism as a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He followed this degree with another in law at Columbia University in New York. He is licensed to practise law in the state of Louisiana.
After returning to Britain, Stafford Smith worked as the founder of Reprieve, a British non-profit NGO that is opposed to the death penalty. As director of Reprieve, Mr. Stafford Smith oversees legal support to prisoners unable to pay for it themselves. Reprieve prioritizes the cases of prisoners accused of the most extreme crimes, such as acts of murder or terrorism, as it is in such cases that human rights are most likely to be jettisoned or eroded. Reprieve’s lawyers currently represent over 30 prisoners in Guantánamo Bay. The organization also continues to assist British nationals facing the death penalty around the world and is conducting investigations into “extraordinary renditions” and secret prisons.
He’s been awarded the OBE in the 2000 New Years' Honours list "for humanitarian services in the legal field”,  Honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Wolverhampton 2001, for his work fighting the death penalty in America, Lifetime Achievement Award from The Lawyer Magazine (2003), Gandhi International Peace Award 2005, for his work representing Guantanamo detainees and campaigning against extraordinary rendition, International Bar Association's Human Rights Award (2010), Honorary Doctorate by Bournemouth University (2011) and Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws) by University of Bath (2011) amongst many others.
 
 
 
 

Just Say The Word Trailer

A brand new podcast series from Alpha CRC.
Co-hosted by Paul Mangell, Yuliya Stancheva and Balnur Zhexeni
Producer and Editor: Yuliya Stancheva
Sound Design: Alpha Studios
Audio Engineers: Gerard Rodriguez and Mikosh Nanasi at Alpha Studios
Vocals- Stancho Stanchev
Artwork- David Standley
 
Do you ever contemplate on a specific word and ask yourself: Where does it come from and what does it mean?  What is my relationship with it?  How does it impact my thinking and behaviour? How is it imprinted in our culture and society? Then you are not alone! As, just like you, we love words, their complex and diverse meanings, and their power to inspire, nurture and guide us. 
We admit, we are fascinated by words and “Just say the word” is homage to our relationship with them and their transformative power.
Paul is a Director at Alpha CRC who has been managing all things localization for more than 20 years. With master’s degree in English and Philosophy and a background in theatre directing and music, he can delve effortlessly in all discussions with finesse and sophistication.
Yuliya is a professional voice actor, podcast host and storyteller with 20 years of experience as a radio presenter and producer, who is not a stranger to giving voice to words and playing with them while creating captivating stories.
Balnur is a divisional Marketing Manager at Alpha CRC, and a passionate linguist who finds pleasure in etymology research and in spreading the language craze for both professional and leisure use.
Together we have joined forces to create “Just say the word” which is a tribute to our love for languages, arts, and culture. This podcast aims to educate, entertain, and inspire.
In every episode we invite a special guest- a celebrity, a radical thinker, a creative mind, a change-maker, a high-achiever, and ask them what is the word that defines their successes and achievements; that one special word that relates to their values, beliefs, and life experiences.  We then take the conversation a step further; we dig into the semantic background of that word and search for exciting cultural connotations- from music, movies, and books, to travel, food, culture and politics- we cover many grounds in search for exciting cross-references with the chosen word.
Join us every other week on a journey across borders, times and cultures with our guests and their one special word as we investigate its origin, meaning and power to create our world.